Tears of Light
by charmingsnow
Summary: Leora, a young girl with a mysterious past, embarks on an adventure that she'll never forget. With her friends by her side, she uncovers the truth to who she is while attempting to keep the darkness at bay.
1. Chapter 1

The shadows rose from below, consuming the entire floor. Was it a floor? I wasn't even sure. The ceramic artwork inlaid on it took my thoughts to the answer 'no'. There was a silhouette of a woman in the very middle which was surrounded by white feathers and a glowing blue light. Parts of a strange symbol could be spotted behind her figure. The 'floor' was large and circular and it stood like a pillar in a never ending darkness. A darkness that was spreading over what I was standing on.

I heard a small sound of fear escape my lips as I watched the darkness grow and grow. Taking a few steps back, I came to the edge of the circle. Panicking, I tried to decide what to do. My choices: Let the shadow claim me as well as the floor of art, or jump.

"No…Sora!" I shut my eyes as my feet gave way and I fell into oblivion.

I shot up, hitting my head into the tree branch above me. Groaning, I put a hand to my forehead, feeling the already growing lump. I used the bent tree trunk to get to my feet, my head pounding where I had hit it. I closed my eyes when the breeze hit my face and my hair moved with it. The smell of the sea soon followed, eliminating the last fragments of my nightmare. All that remained was the pain.

"Leora!"

My eyes snapped open and I looked around. Kairi was running across the bridge to meet me. The tips of her bright red hair danced around her face as she ran.

"Oh, hey Kairi," I greeted, leaning against the branch to look like nothing was wrong.

"Hi." She stopped to catch her breath. "What are you doing out here by yourself?"

I shrugged. "Just thinking. Once the raft is finished, we'll be leaving our home. There's a lot to consider, you know?"

She nodded in understanding. "Speaking of that, we're going to start building the raft soon. Do you know where Sora is? Riku's starting to get mad."

I thought for a moment. "The last time I saw him, he was sitting on the beach," was my answer.

"Oh! I should've guessed it. How about we go get his lazy butt so we can help Riku?"

I shrugged for the second time. "Sure. I have nothing better to do." I pushed myself into motion, ignoring my head 'ache'.

Together we walked down to the beach in silence. Sure, Kairi and I were friends, but lately it seemed like we were growing further and further apart. We rarely had anything in common anymore. In fact, she could usually be found chatting and giggling with Selphie, another friend of ours, while I enjoyed the company of Riku and Sora.

As we approached the beach, we found Sora lying near the water. He was apparently sleeping, but when we got a bit closer, he bolted up. Momentarily reminding me of the same thing I did just moments ago, Sora laid back down. I stood where I was as Kairi made her way to stand over the boy and look down at him.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed, sitting up again. Kairi giggled when Sora spoke again. "Gimme a break, Kairi." He flipped onto his hands and knees to look at her.

"Sora, you lazy bum, I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here."

I scoffed quietly at Kairi's words. She had no clue Sora was sleeping on the beach until I told her.

"No! This huge black THING swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't – OW!" Sora put a hand to his head.

My eyes widened slightly. Could it be that Sora and I had the same dream?

"So, this is where you three disappeared to."

I turned, watching Riku walk over with a log hoisted on his shoulder. I smiled and shrugged. "You don't expect us to work all day, do you?"

"Hm, if you guys worked at all, I'd fall for that excuse." He smiled despite his words.

"Whoops," was my only response.

"Leora…from the moment you got here, I started thinking about the different places out there. This raft…" He stopped, seemingly at a loss of words.

"Gosh, Riku, I'm really sorry. I didn't know this meant so much to you. I'll do whatever you need me to do." I nodded once, as if that proved my point.

Riku smiled again. "Thanks Leora."

Kairi's words broke into our silence even though she was still chatting with Sora. "But you know…I wouldn't mind going to see it," she said, turning to face Sora, who was still sitting in the sand.

"I'd like to see it too. Along with any other worlds out there. I want to see 'em all!" the brunette boy replied.

_Other worlds?_ I thought. _How many could there be?_ I scanned the horizon as if searching for some sign of another world existing. Except for our small town across the waters, nothing was in sight.

"So what're we waiting for?" Kairi asked in excitement, pulling me from my reverie.

"Hey!" Riku finally made his presence known. "Aren't you guys forgetting about us?" He approached the two of them and I followed. "So, I guess I'm the only one working on the raft," he mentioned, tossing the log at Sora, who failed at the catch and fell over.

I chuckled lightly, watching Sora struggle with the piece of wood. To be honest, I adored Sora. Even in his most dimwitted times. I felt a strong connection with him, but was always too embarrassed to admit it to anyone. It was my little secret…

Riku rounded on Kairi. "And you are just as lazy as he is!"

She giggled. "So you noticed. Okay we'll finish it together. Let's race there!"

"Huh?" Sora questioned, rolling the log away from him with one hand while still remaining on his butt.

"What, are you kidding?" Riku asked, slumping down next to Sora.

Kairi smiled. "Ready? Go!"

Both boys shot up at the same time and started the race. Despite their exhaustion and the hot sun, neither one of them could refuse a chance at dominance. I watched with a small smile, and then followed.


	2. Chapter 2

When Kairi and I finally caught up to Sora and Riku, we found them arguing over who had won.

"You wish you won, Sora," Riku smugly said, walking away.

Sora turned to us girls, clearly exasperated. "I won, didn't I?"

"Erm…we didn't really see the end," I responded.

Sora groaned and slumped to the ground, head hanging low in defeat.

"Oh, come on. There's always next time," I encouraged, pulling him to his feet.

"She's right, Sora," Kairi responded. I glanced at her, not really asking for her two cents. "So, can you gather the rest of the supplies? Sora, are you listening to me?" Kairi's eyes were on Sora when she said the last part.

I turned to look at him, suddenly aware of how close I was to him. Stepping aside slightly, I waited for him to snap out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Yeah I heard you," he answered.

"Okay, here's what you need to go find. Two logs, one cloth, and one rope. Bring everything back here. Leora can help you," she said.

I raised my eyebrow, annoyed how she added me without my consent. Nevertheless, alone time with Sora? I wasn't about to pass that up. "Sure, I'll help." I put on a fake smile and agreed.

"If you two need help, just ask. I'm counting on you guys!" With that, she headed off.

"I wonder what she'll be doing," I said, not totally aware that it was out loud.

"Probably playing with those shells of hers," Sora put in, placing his hands on the back of his head in a laid back pose.

I smiled. "Most likely. Well, those items aren't going to find themselves. Let's get going." I led the way to the first log, sitting on the beach near the rolling waves. "One down, three to go."

"I remember seeing a log on the bridge," Sora mentioned.

"Oh yeah. Let's see if it's still there." I picked up the first log. "I'll carry this one."

We made our way over to the bridge, then to the bent tree where we found Riku.

"What are you two up to?" he asked, jumping down from the tree.

"Just collecting some things for the raft," I answered, and then added. "See, I'm working." I flashed a smile as Sora grabbed the log lying beside the tree.

Hoisting my own log onto my shoulder, I spoke again. "Can't stick around, Riku, got work to do!" I called, heading back over the bridge.

"Yeah yeah, you two have fun!" Riku called back.

"Not much fun here," Sora said, heaving the large log up to hold it better.

"It depends how you look at it," I responded, making sure not to look his way.

"Huh? What does that mean?" he questioned.

Searching for an excuse to ignore his question, I walked over to Wakka.

"Hey you two," he greeted.

"Hello Wakka. Whatcha doing?" I asked, propping the heavy log against the small wooden staircase. Sora did the same, stretching his arms.

"Oh, me and Tidus, we're going to explore the secret place at the base of the tree. There's gotta be something there, ya?" he explained.

"I guess," I answered, glancing at the unknown dark entrance. Many times, I found myself sitting in the small cave even though it always gave me the chills.

"Sounds like fun," Sora said. "It's definitely something I'd like to be doing right now," he muttered.

"Only two more things to find," I reminded. "Then we can relax."

"Right. Let's get that done."

I nodded and we continued on our hunt. It didn't take too long to find the rope and cloth. When we did, we headed back to Kairi, our arms strained from the logs.

She smiled as we approached. "Thanks guys. I found something today too. Here," she said, handing out a Hi-Potion to each of us. "Tired? Want to call it a day?" she asked.

Sora and I shared a 'whatastupidquestionthereKairi' look. I nodded. "Yeah, I'm bushed."

"Let's go home," Sora added.

"Okay, it is getting late. We'll finish up tomorrow," Kairi said.


	3. Chapter 3

The sky was painted with many shades of red, orange, and yellow. The setting sun was ending the day and the four of us watched it slowly lower into the horizon. Sora, Kairi and I each had found a seat on the bent branch. Riku seemed content with standing beside it.

"So, Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?" Sora asked.

"Could be. We'll never know by staying here," Riku answered.

I looked over at him. "What makes you think the raft will get us to another world?" I questioned.

"Yeah, how far could a raft take us?" Sora added.

Riku waited a moment then answered. "Who knows? If we have to, we'll think of something else."

I nodded as Kairi spoke. "So, suppose you get to another world. What would you do there?"

"Well, I haven't really thought about it. It's just…I've always wondered why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there are other worlds…then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could have easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

His words made me dive into 'serious thought' mode. It's true; we could've ended up anywhere. What brought the four of us to this world? What brought me here?

"I don't know," Sora answered, lying down on the tree. For a moment I thought he was responding to my own thoughts, then I realized he was answering Riku's last question.

"That's why we need to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go," Riku continued.

"You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" Kairi asked.

"Thanks to the two of you." Riku cast a glance to Kairi then me. When he met my gaze, I nodded once. "If you two hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this. Kairi, Leora, thanks."

"You're welcome!" Kairi replied before I could.

I just turned my attention away, scanning the darkening sky. "We should get some rest."

"Yeah. Leora's right. Let's go," Kairi agreed. She jumped off the branch and headed across the bridge.

I hopped down, looking from Riku to Sora. "Goodnight guys." I started away after they each wished me a good night.

Would it be a good night? I was afraid to find out. Putting a hand to my forehead, I felt the small bump that my last nightmare gave me. I hoped it would be my last…

The black shadows danced around me; their forms small and strange. Their hands snaked towards me, their fingers grasping at my body.

"No! Please!" My own words surprised me and I tried to pull away from the darkness.

As their grips tightened against my skin, I felt the world go dark.

I opened my eyes, gasping for air. What were these nightmares trying to tell me? I suddenly had a feeling that something bad was going to happen. And soon. But, I wasn't about to share my feelings and frighten my friends. Better to put on a happy front and just get through life's obstacles, right? I was no longer sure.

I found Sora and Riku on the island, about to start a race. Kairi was judging, as usual.

"Okay you two, the usual rules apply. Take any route you want. First one to tag the tree and make it back here wins," she announced.

"Good luck guys," I added, plopping down on the ground to wait for the end.

Sora and Riku both glanced over at me and smiled then talked amongst themselves.

Kairi interrupted. "Okay. On my count! 3…2…1…Go!"

The boys started the race, taking off across the broken bridge. Kairi took a seat next to me. "Who do you think is going to win this time?" she asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know. Riku is faster, but Sora…he's just determined to win."

She nodded and waited.

"Alright! Now the score's 1-0!" Sora exclaimed, when it was decided that he was the winner of the race.

"Calm down. It's just a name," Riku replied, stretching.

Sora suddenly stopped cheering and looked upset, even angry. He watched Riku stroll away then turned to us.

"You did great," I complimented. "So, what are we naming the raft?" I pondered out loud, watching my brunette friend.

His lips pulled into a sheepish grin and his cheeks reddened slightly. "Erm…I haven't decided yet."

I had the distinct feeling that he was lying, but Kairi interrupted before I could further investigate.

"Okay you two, today we collect provisions for our trip! Let's see, Sora, Leora, we need…one seagull egg, three mushrooms, two coconuts, three fish. And fill this up with drinking water. But not from the ocean." Kairi gave orders, then handed me an empty bottle. "Bring everything back here. If you need help, just ask," she told us.

I reluctantly took the bottle then turned on the spot and started away. I was starting to hate the way she ordered us around.

It didn't take long for Sora and I to collect the majority of the items. All we were missing was a mushroom, when we came to the entrance of the secret place.

"Come on, this way," Sora said. Taking my hand, he led me through the base of the tree and inside the cave. "See, here it is!" He excitedly plucked it from the ground and turned to show it to me.

I laughed softly, but stopped when a chill made me shiver.

"Wh-who's there?" Sora asked, causing me to turn to the hooded man that seemed to have just appeared in the cave.

"I've come to see the door to this world," The man spoke in a deep voice.

"Huh?" Sora questioned as I threw a glance at the strange door that always had us making up stories about what it was for. Countless nights, the four of us would take turns trying to open it. We never succeeded.

"This world has been connected," the man stated. "Tied to the darkness…soon to be completely eclipsed."

"Well, whoever you are, stop freaking us out like this. Huh? Where did you come from?" Sora asked, just then realizing that the man only appeared after us. And we were blocking the only entrance.

"You do not yet know what lies beyond the door," the man said.

I nudged my friend. "Sora," I whispered. "Let's get out of here…"

"So, you're from another world!" Sora exclaimed, not hearing my plea.

"There is so very much to learn. You understand so little."

"Oh yeah? Well you'll see. I'm gonna go out and learn what's out there!" Sora seemed content with talking with the unfamiliar man, but I wanted nothing more than to take my friend and leave the hooded figure behind.

"A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing," the man said, and then his hidden face turned to me. "And you, child, will remember where you came from. It must be painful…missing your other half."

"What on earth are you going on about?" I finally spoke up.

The door seemed to pulse and it attracted Sora's attention as well as mine. When we looked back, the man was gone.

"Hey! Where did he go?" Sora asked.

"I'm…not sure," was the only answer I could come up with. His words chilled me to the bone. My other half?

"Well…that was weird," he said, putting his hands behind his head in that laid back pose.

"Yeah…how about we just get out of here." It wasn't a question. I led the way out of the secret place, wondering what those secrets really were.

When we got back to Kairi, we found her leaning against the raft's pillar, fiddling with something.

"What is that?" I asked, trying to hide my annoyance with her.

"This? I'm making a necklace of thalassa shells. In the old days, sailors always wore thalassa shells. They were supposed to ensure a safe voyage," she answered.

"Here, we found everything," Sora cut in, putting the stuff down.

"Thanks! I found something today, too. Here, you can have them." She handed a Hi-Potion to me, then Sora. "Tired? Want to call it a day?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Sure."

"Yeah, let's go home," Sora agreed.

"Okay, tomorrow's the big day. We should rest up," she replied.


	4. Chapter 4

I stood in the darkness, a faint glow of light surrounding me like a shield. I didn't know what it was that was protecting me, but I felt its good intentions. Then, everything went cold and the light faded. I took a tentative step forward, stopping when a mirror appeared from the floor.

My reflection looked back at me from the glass. I frowned when my reflection begin to change. My blonde hair turned shades darker until it was almost black. My bright blue eyes faded until a pair of dull blue ones met my gaze. The familiar stranger cast a hand out to its side and I watched as a sword like key appeared in her grasp. Only seconds passed before she lunged through the mirror, her sword piercing through my heart.

I felt my life leave me and the darkness claimed my body, my soul, and my heart.

I awoke in my bed, gasping for air with my hand over my heart. Why did it hurt so badly? These dreams of mine…they were becoming unbearable. Wiping the sweat that beaded on my forehead away with a sleeve, I slid out of bed. That's when I noticed the lack of morning sunshine. Rather, no sun at all was coming in through the window. It was still dark in the room.

Pulling aside a curtain, I studied the dark clouds forming over the island.

"Oh geez, not today!" I quickly got dressed, running out of the house when I was ready. _'The raft won't last against this weather!' _I thought, rowing towards the island in a small, wooden boat.

When I docked, I noticed the three boats already there. _'Kairi, Riku…and Sora' _I scanned the island, searching for my friends.

The wind blew fiercely as I crossed the bridge leading to our favorite spot. Bracing myself against the strength of the sudden wind, I approached my oldest friend.

"Riku!" I called, my voice unheard due to the roaring thunder. I touched his shoulder, feeling him flinch away.

He turned to face me. "Leora, the day's finally here. We can't be afraid anymore."

"What are you talking about? We have to get away from here before the storm gets worse."

A flash of lightning struck the water, sending an electric chill throughout. I shuddered, sending a silent thanks that neither one of us were in the water at the time.

"The door has opened." Riku took hold of my shoulders with both hands. "Don't you know what that means? We can finally get off this island."

"Riku, please! It's not safe out here. Once the storm passes, we can take the raft and go."

"I'm not afraid," he said, taking a step back and away from me.

"Riku…" I reached out, desperate for him to leave with me. As if the wind was trying to keep me away from him, it burst towards me, sending me flying backwards and through the sky.

I landed with a thud on the hard ground. Groaning, I got to my feet. I looked around. _'My island…it's disappearing…" _I couldn't help but watch as the island got smaller and smaller, darkness simply taking its place. "No!" My outburst echoed around me, filling me with despair.

"Lee!"

I spun on the spot, searching for the voice, soon spotting him. "Sora! You're okay." We ran to meet each other. "Where are Riku…and Kairi?" I asked, worried for their safety. Kairi and I weren't exactly best friends, but I never hoped for her to fall into danger's hands.

"They're gone," Sora answered. "But don't worry," he continued, seeing my scared expression. "We'll find them, right? You with me?"

"Always," I found myself answering. He smiled a sad smile as the black orb in the sky grew, pulling the remainder of the island towards it.

Sora took my hand in his. "Don't let go, Leora."

I looked from our hands to his bright blue eyes. "Sora…"

The darkness engulfed everything at that moment, pulling Sora from my grip and casting me into a world of shadows.


	5. Chapter 5

_ 'Just a dream…?'_ My eyes fluttered open and I shifted my aching body to a more comfortable position. After stretching my legs, I braced myself against the wall to get to my feet. Feeling a bit wobbly, I waited a moment before taking a step. _'Where am I?' _Starting to feel stronger, but still as confused, I walked along the wall. Strolling past the wooden crates, I peeked around the corner. The alley was dark, the only light coming from the dim lamps in the rooms above.

I tentatively walked a little more, catching sight of the still water in the ground's lower level. Iron bars blocked the way passed the water.

'_This isn't my home…this isn't my world...' _I came to a stop when two figures rounded the corner ahead of me. I dashed to the side as they passed by, clearly none the wiser that I was there. That suited me just fine; I didn't want to be seen. Especially by these strange…erm…people? That had to be wrong. The taller of the two looked more like a dog walking like a human on two feet. The short one resembled a duck to the T.

"Gawrsh, there's nobody around. Sure is spooky," the dog commented.

I watched as a woman wearing a pink dress approached them from behind.

"Aw, phooey. I'm not scared," the duck responded.

The woman bent down slightly and tapped the duck's shoulder, sending the poor duck into the air in fright. The dog caught him as the woman spoke.

"Excuse me. Did the king send you?"

"He sure did, hyuck! We gotta find the key!" the dog exclaimed, seemingly excited that they found someone. Or rather, that she found them.

"Why do you want to know?" the duck questioned, jumping from the dog's arms.

"Come with me," she said. "I'll explain everything." She started away and they followed close behind.

'_Oh great…should I follow?' _I thought, watching them go. Maybe she could tell me where I was. And how I could get back home. Maybe she knew where my friends were…

"Hey, wait!" I called, popping from my hiding place to catch up to them.

"Oh?" the woman turned to look at me. "Where did you come from?"

I hesitated. "I kind of overheard what you said," I told her, ignoring her question. I wasn't exactly going to tell her I had been hiding from the strange creatures that now stood beside me, curiously watching my actions. "I woke up here. I was hoping you could tell me where I am?" I shyly put my hands behind my back, waiting for her response.

"You should come with us. I think you may have a part in this as well," she said.

I frowned, not really understanding her words. "Erm…alright then." She seemed like someone I could trust, so I agreed.

She nodded then looked from the dog, to the duck, to me again. "Goofy, Donald, and Leora. Follow me."

'_How did she know my name?' _I wondered, glancing at Donald and Goofy. I didn't exactly hear them introduce themselves either.

My head was beginning to hurt as I followed the mysterious woman down the alley. We walked in silence, the first words spoken only when we were alone in a red motel room. The woman sat down on the bed and motioned for the three of us to sit as well.

"I'm Aerith," she began by finally revealing her name. "Okay, you know there are many worlds out there besides your castle, your island, Leora, and this town, right?"

"Yeah," Donald, the duck, answered.

"But they're supposed to be a secret," Goofy replied.

Well great, I was the clueless one here. I decided to just shut up and listen to what they had to say.

"They've been secret because they've never been connected. Until now," Aerith said. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "When the Heartless came, everything changed."

"What are…the Heartless?" I asked, the name sending chills down my back.

"They're those without hearts. The darkness in people's hearts, that's what attracts them. And there is darkness within each heart," she explained. "Have you heard of Ansem?" she asked.

I shook my head as Goofy spoke.

"Ansem?"

"He was studying the Heartless. He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report," she told us.

"Gawrsh, uh, can we see it?" Goofy asked.

Aerith shook her head 'no'. "Its pages are scattered everywhere."

"Scattered?" Donald questioned.

"Too many worlds," she simply said.

"Oh, then maybe the king went to find 'em," Goofy replied.

"Yes, those were my thoughts exactly," she replied.

"We've gotta find them quick!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Wait! First we need that key!" Donald reminded him.

"That's right. The keyblade," Aerith agreed.

If it was possible, I was even more lost than I was to begin with. Keyblade? Ansem? Heartless? It was all too much to take in. Before I could ask my first question of many however, a voice yelled from the next room.

"Yuffie, go!"

A door near Donald flew open, flattening him between it and the wall. I watched as a girl ran in and through the room, exiting out another door.

"Yuffie?" Aerith questioned, getting up to follow her.

"Sora, let's go!" the same man's voice ordered.

'_Sora…?'_ I quickly got to my feet and hurried into the next room, only to find it empty. Maybe I was hearing things? Well, it certainly wasn't too late to find out. Running out the door, I started my search for my brown-haired friend.


	6. Chapter 6

A quick run through the three districts of Traverse Town left me breathless and crestfallen. Sora was nowhere in sight. And neither were Riku or Kairi for that matter.

I stopped to catch my breath, taking a seat on one of the wooden benches in the second district. This was all too weird; the dreams, the island, and this new world? Come on! My thoughts were disrupted when the town shook. Or at least the district I was in did, even though the cause was nowhere in sight.

"Leon, you better get going. There's something big in the third district!" a girl's frightened voice called from a motel window. She had short black hair and looked awfully like the one that had fled the room earlier.

I looked up at her, getting to my feet as a man swiped at a shadow creature, and then turned to the girl that had spoken. "If Sora's really the keyblade's chosen one, he can handle it."

That was all I needed to hear. Hopeful, I hurried to the third district to find my closest friend. When I entered the district, the battle sounds reached me first. I ran over to the railing and peered down at the scene. Sora was in the middle of the action, using moves that I had never seen him use before. And his weapon…it wasn't like the kiddie stuff we used to use on the island. Wooden swords, jump ropes, and blitz balls were nothing compared to the blade that Sora now wielded. It was in the shape of a large key. The Keyblade, I reminded myself using that name that both Aerith and Leon had mentioned.

Donald and Goofy were assisting my friend in the defeat of the gigantic armor. _'A Heartless' _I asked myself. I suddenly had the urge to join them, but remembered that I didn't have a weapon of my own. Before I could be mad at myself for not thinking about that sooner, the armor collapsed. I watched as a large heart rose into the sky and disappeared.

"Whoa, that was tough," I heard Sora say.

I smiled at his familiar voice. I then rested a palm on the railing and jumped over it. I landed with a crouch on their level. Instead of wondering why I simply didn't walk down the ramp, I stood up. "Impressive, Sora!" I called, catching the brunette's attention.

"Lee!" He sounded happy as we ran to meet each other and hugged.

"I was looking all over for you," I told him when we parted.

"Well, we found him first!" Donald informed, tapping his webbed foot.

"Oh, so, uh, you were looking for me?" Sora asked the duck.

"Uh huh," Donald and Goofy replied in unison.

"They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the keyblade," Leon said, strolling up to our group.

This was the first chance I got to get a good look at him. And boy was he cute! Long brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes with a scar crossing over one of them. I had to remind myself that he was probably too old for me. I mean, I was only 14. And besides, he was most likely going steady with that black haired girl…or even Aerith.

I was jerked from my thoughts when Goofy spoke excitedly.

"Hey, why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel."

"I wonder if I can find Riku and Kairi," Sora replied thoughtfully.

"Of course," Donald told him.

Goofy bent down to whisper something to the duck and Donald said something back. Both went unheard by the rest of us.

"Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends," Leon said.

Geez, did I feel left out. Nobody seemed to remember I was there. Not even Sora. All he wanted was to find Kairi.

Looking at my feet, I moved away from him a bit, crossing my arms.

"Yeah, I guess," Sora replied to Leon, not even noticing my movement.

"But you can't come looking like that. Understand? No frowning. No sad face. Okay?" Donald ordered.

"Yeah, ya gotta look funny, like us!" Goofy agreed.

Oh yeah, they looked funny alright.

"This boat runs on happy faces," Donald added, waiting to see what Sora did.

"Happy?" Sora repeated. It took a moment before he looked up and smiled, showing all of his pearly whites.

Donald and Goofy burst out laughing, but I wasn't amused.

"That's one funny face!" Goofy exclaimed, slapping his knee in hysterics.

"Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys!" Sora said, and then looked my way. "Oh, what about Leora?"

'_Nice Sora. So, I'm just an afterthought now, huh?'_

"She can come!" Goofy said, causing me to look at him with mild shock.

I mean, he just said it like it was nothing. Maybe I misjudged him and his duck companion.

"Alright then, what are we waiting for? Donald Duck," Donald introduced, putting his hand out.

"Name's Goofy," Goofy said, placing his hand on top of the duck's.

Oh geez, were we about to do one of those corny cheers?

"I'm Sora," Sora put his hand on top of Goofy's. The three of them looked at me expectantly.

"Erm…call me Lee," I said, resting my hand on the very top. I felt somehow out of place.

"All for one, one for all!" Goofy cheered.


	7. Chapter 7

_ 'Make sure we're prepared. That's what Leon had said. What exactly have we gotten ourselves into?' _

I patted the small duck's head. "Thanks for the items, little guy. These will definitely help us out," I told him. No, it wasn't Donald that I was talking to. Sora and I had split up to shop around a bit in the first district of Traverse Town. In the item shop I found a trio of young ducks, each one seemingly more excited than the others that they had a customer. I bought what I thought we needed with the munny Leon and the others had given me.

"Thanks for stopping by," the duck wearing green quacked as I turned to leave.

I waved and walked out the door, nearly running into Leon himself. "Whoops, sorry," I apologized, feeling my face heat up. I stepped away, extremely embarrassed.

"I was looking for you," he said, staring down at me.

"Me?" I pointed to myself like a ditz and looked up at him. "Why?"

"Leora, right?" he asked, clarifying my name. I nodded and he continued. "I wanted to give you something." He pulled a long sword out from a sheath, showing it to me. "Go ahead, take it."

"For me?" I reached out, gripping the handle and holding it up to examine it.

Leon stepped back. "Try it out." He crossed his arms, a small smile on his handsome face.

I smiled back, moving away so as not to accidentally hit him. I swung the sword different ways, getting a feel for the blade. This was fantastic! Finally I could get in on the action. I wasn't one of those helpless girls that stood back and watched a fight. I wouldn't let anyone label me as a damsel in distress.

The sword was incredibly light and easy to use. It fell into place with my style of fighting; feeling like it was mine all along. I stopped and turned back to Leon, who held out the sheath.

"Not bad. You could give Sora a run for his money."

I let out a small laugh. "Thanks, Leon." I took the sheath and back strap, clipping it on. "For everything."

He nodded in understanding. "Now get going. Sora and the others are waiting by the town's main gate." He approached me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Keep your spirits up. Don't let the darkness win."

I nodded once, telling him that I would take his words to heart. After bidding Leon farewell, I hurried over to where my new companions waited.

"What took you so long?" Donald quacked in irritation, tapping his foot.

"Chill out, duck. I was just saying bye."

"So, are you up for this?" Sora asked me.

I looked at him. I mean, really looked at him. His brow was furrowed and his deep blue eyes held concern. For me…or Kairi?

"Worry about yourself, Sora. I'm up for anything." I pushed the wooden gate opened, shielding my eyes when a bright light nearly blinded me.

When the light faded, I opened my eyes. _'What the…?' _I looked around the inside of the ship. The control panels blinked and blipped. This was their vessel? Not bad.

Donald and Goofy made their way over to the controls, readying the ship for takeoff. I was about to explore the rest of the ship, but Sora stopped me, grabbing my hand. I froze in my tracks and looked at him. His head was down so I wasn't able to see his face.

"Sora…what is it?" I asked.

"You're mad at me," he said, his hand holding mine tightly, like he was afraid I would leave him.

I smiled a small smile and hugged him, holding him close. He let out a shocked gasp, hugging me back.

"I'm not mad," I assured him, breaking the embrace moments later. Our eyes met and locked. Oh, how I wanted to tell him everything inside. My feelings for him were overflowing. Instead, I changed the subject. "Let's go see if we can drive this thing."

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah, let's go."


	8. Chapter 8

I couldn't help occasionally glancing at Sora, who was sulking in his chair. It turned out that Donald didn't trust either one of us to control the ship. Annoyed with the duck myself, I simply watched the world we were nearing grow bigger and bigger. _'A new world…how many are out here?'_ The ship came to a stop beside the revolving planet.

"So, how do we land?" I questioned.

"Come stand over here?" Donald quacked, roaming over to the side of the ship.

I did as I was told. Standing beside the duck, I put my hands on my hips, waiting for Sora and Goofy to make their way over. When they did, Donald raised his staff and we were consumed by a bright light. The next thing I knew we were all coasting down a strange hole. I looked over at Sora, who shrugged in midair.

Dropping to my feet, I watched Sora and Donald do the same. Goofy wasn't as lucky; falling on all fours. I smiled as Sora peeked down the hallway we were standing in.

Out of nowhere, a white rabbit appeared. Seriously, one minute it was just the 4 of us then 'poof' the rabbit was standing there too. And this wasn't an ordinary pet rabbit that you feed carrots and celery to in a cage. This rabbit stood on two paws, wore a pair of spectacles along with his outfit, and carried a large golden pocket watch in his furry paw.

"Oh my fur and whiskers!" he exclaimed, checking the time. "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. I'm here, I should be there." He hopped into motion, paying no mind to us. "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late! The queen, she'll have my head for sure!" He hurried passed Sora and disappeared down the hall.

A thick silence fell, telling me that I wasn't the only one shocked by the outburst of the little animal. Thankfully, I wasn't the one that had to break it.

"Gawrsh, maybe we should follow him," Goofy mentioned.

"Busy little guy…yeah, let's see what he's up to." I started down the hall, leading the males to the end where a large door waited. Reaching forward, I turned the knob and pulled it open only to be greeted by a smaller door inside. "Eh?" I questioned.

"Lemme see," Sora said, gripping the next door's handle and tugging. He nearly crashed into me when the door opened with ease, revealing a third.

I helped Sora regain his balance as Donald stepped up, opening the third door, which was about his size. He stepped through when it opened, leading into another room. _'Well, what's so special about the duck?'_ I rolled my eyes and crouched down, slipping through the doorway.

The new room we entered could be summed up in one word: Bizarre. It was square shaped with 2d furniture patterns on the walls, floor, and ceiling. A small bed sat in one corner.

Sora roamed over to the tiny door across the room. I followed, studying the large knob on the door.

Sora crouched down in front of the itty bitty door. "How did he get so small?" he questioned, referring to the rabbit that was nowhere in sight. To begin with, the white rabbit was a shade shorter than Donald, but not even the duck could fit through the only exit in the room.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when the golden doorknob spoke. "No, you're simply too big," it said.

"Whoa!" Sora exclaimed, jumping back in surprise.

"It talks," Donald stated the obvious.

The doorknob opened its eyes and yawned. "Must you be so loud? You woke me up," it scolded.

"Good morning!" Goofy greeted cheerfully.

"Good night," it corrected. "I need a bit more sleep."

"Wait, what do we have to do to grow small?" Sora asked it.

I frowned at my friend's retarded question. How in the world do you grow small?

The knob seemed to have an answer. "Why don't you try the bottle…over there?"

I turned to look, confusion claiming me when a table popped up from the floor. Oh boy, talking rabbits, sleeping doorknobs, tables appearing out of nowhere. _'Welcome to a new world, Leora' _I thought to myself. I looked at my brunette companion, who was holding one of the bottles that once occupied the table top.

"Erm…Sora? You're not thinking of drinking that, are you?" I asked him, stepping over to his side.

"Why not?" Sora's attention turned to me. "The doorknob said it would make us smaller."

"Are you even listening to yourself?" I asked, picking up the other bottle to look at it. "How do you know which bottle he-it wants you to drink from?"

"I'll take a sip from this one and you drink from that one," Sora answered like it was the simplest thing in the world. Well…in this world anyway. "Come on, Lee. Where's your sense of adventure?"

Oh, I was adventurous, alright. But when it came down to drinking from a bottle that appeared on a table from the world of 'floor', I was a little iffy. Not to mention the only label on said bottle read 'Drink Me'. It just seemed wrong.

Groaning, I gave in to Sora's pleading look. "If I die, I'm haunting all of you," I promised, sniffing the scentless liquid.

Sora laughed nervously. "Got it. Okay, on three." Donald and Goofy watched with interest as Sora looked at his bottle. "1…2…3!"

I tipped the bottle, taking a gulp of the drink as Sora did the same. Immediately, I felt a tingling sensation throughout my body. I set the bottle down as the world around me grew bigger and bigger.

I scanned the bizarre room, immediately knowing what a mouse felt like. The table I was just standing next to a moment before now seemed like a humongous tree shading me from the lamps above. Taking a step back, I gazed up at my companions. I felt my eyes grow wide at the sight. Donald and Goofy towered above me like giants, but that was nothing compared to Sora.

The bed that used to sit in the corner of the room was now gone and my brunette friend was on his butt rubbing his head, which I assumed he had hit on the ceiling. His legs were spread wide, for that was the only way they fit in the room. Each foot reached a corner of its own. Sora had grown to put it bluntly, and it wasn't simply a growth spurt.

"Whoa, maybe that wasn't the right bottle," Sora's voice thundered against the walls, causing me to hold my ears before I went deaf. "Where's Leora?"

I backed against the table's stand as Goofy's big nose peeked under the table's rim. "Gawrsh, here she is. Boy, is she tiny! Hyuck!" the dog sounded excited.

"Here Sora, drink from this one." Donald reached for something on the table then handed it to Sora.

Sora, who's hand would've crushed the bottle if he had tried to grasp it, took the glass gently between his thumb and forefinger. Taking a swig from the never-ending liquid, he began to shrink.

I watched in fascination as my friend got smaller and smaller until finally he was my height. Goofy and Donald followed suit and each took a turn drinking from the mysterious bottle. In time, our heights seemed normal and it was the room that had multiplied in size.

I searched around the room as Goofy approached the doorknob's door and knocked. The knob's only response was a loud snore. Roaming, I finally came to a stop in front of a dark doorway, which I could've sworn wasn't there before. The wall perpendicular to the door had a side view of an extremely large bed plastered on it. As if Sora had pushed the bed that was in the room earlier into the wall.

"Hey, you guys?" I called to my companions, all of whom were interrogating the dozing doorknob, to no avail. The three of them pattered over to where I was standing.

"Where did this come from?" Sora wondered out loud, peering into the doorway.

"Dunno," I answered. "But, there's only one way to find out where it leads." With that said, I headed into the long tunnel.

As we walked further and further down the hallway, I started to notice the lighting around us. I stopped, glancing in the direction we came. Nothing but blackness looked back at me, and the same was ahead.

"What's up?" Sora asked, stopping next to me.

"Erm, nothing," I lied, continuing on.

A steady ticking echoed against the walls and as we walked a bright light appeared ahead. I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the newfound sunlight.


End file.
